California's New Minimum Auto Limits: 30/60/15

As of January 1, 2025, California's minimum auto liability limits are $30,000 bodily injury per person / $60,000 per accident / $15,000 property damage — '30/60/15' — under Senate Bill 1107. They had been 15/30/5 since 1967, when a fender-bender cost a few hundred dollars. The law also schedules the next step: 50/100/25 on January 1, 2035.

If you carried minimum coverage, your policy limits rose automatically at renewal — and your premium likely did too. Here's how to think about it.

• $30,000 bodily injury, per person: the most your policy pays for one person you injure — medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering.
• $60,000 bodily injury, per accident: the cap across everyone you injure in one crash.
• $15,000 property damage: the other party's vehicle and property.

Liability coverage pays for harm you cause to others. It never fixes your own car (that's collision), your own injuries (medical payments / health insurance), or a hit-and-run (uninsured motorist).

Consider the arithmetic of a Los Angeles intersection: the average new car price is near $50,000, so a two-car collision can blow through a $15,000 property-damage limit before anyone mentions injuries. When damages exceed your limits, you are personally liable for the difference — wages can be garnished and assets pursued.

For most drivers with anything to protect, we recommend quoting 100/300/100. On many policies the jump from minimum to substantial liability limits costs less than people expect, because the base premium already carries the fixed costs. If you own a home or have savings, an umbrella policy stacks $1M+ of liability across your auto and home policies, typically for a few hundred dollars a year.

Don't skip uninsured motorist coverage

Roughly one in six California drivers is uninsured, and minimum-limit drivers are everywhere. Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage stands in when the at-fault driver can't pay — it's among the highest-value coverages per dollar on a California auto policy, and brokers quote it by default for a reason.

• Bodily injury, per person: $15,000 before 2025 → $30,000 today → $50,000 from 2035.
• Bodily injury, per accident: $30,000 → $60,000 → $100,000.
• Property damage: $5,000 → $15,000 → $25,000.

The 15/30/5 figures had stood since 1967. SB 1107 — the Protect California Drivers Act — doubled the bodily-injury limits and tripled property damage from January 1, 2025, and wrote the next step into the same statute: 50/100/25 from January 1, 2035. There is no action for you to take in 2035 either; policies simply renew at the new floor.

This is the scenario the numbers above are really about, and it is far more likely than being the at-fault driver yourself.

If a 30/60/15 driver injures you badly, their policy stops at $30,000 for you — less than a single night of trauma care in Los Angeles County can cost. You can sue for the rest, but a driver who bought minimum limits usually has nothing to collect. The coverage that actually protects you is on your own policy:

• Uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury (UM/UIM) steps into the at-fault driver's shoes when they are uninsured or under-insured. California insurers must offer it, and you can only decline it in writing — if you don't remember signing that waiver, check your declarations page today.
• Uninsured motorist property damage and collision cover your own car; collision also covers a hit-and-run, which UMPD generally does not.
• Medical payments (MedPay) pays your medical bills regardless of fault, with no deductible and no waiting for a liability settlement.

Buying up your liability limits protects your assets. Buying UM/UIM protects your body. They are different purchases and most people need both.

• Carriers report your coverage electronically to the DMV, so a lapse is noticed without anyone pulling you over — and it can suspend your registration.
• You must be able to show evidence of coverage when asked: the card, the app, or the electronic copy your carrier issues.
• After certain violations — driving uninsured, a DUI, some at-fault accidents — the DMV requires an SR-22, which isn't insurance but a certificate your insurer files confirming you carry at least the state minimum. Not every carrier will file one; an independent broker knows which will, which is most of the value we add here.
• A gap in coverage, even a short one, re-prices you as a higher risk at the next renewal. If money is tight, tell us before you cancel — there is almost always a cheaper structure than being uninsured.

This page is general information for California consumers, not legal, tax, or financial advice, and not an offer of coverage. Rates, rules, and carrier appetite change frequently — figures shown are typical ranges as of mid-2026 from public sources. Your own premium and eligibility depend on your specific situation. Confirm current requirements with the [California Department of Insurance](https://www.insurance.ca.gov/) or talk to a licensed agent. Express Financial & Insurance Services, Inc. is an independent brokerage in Santa Monica, CA — call 310-453-5736 for a no-obligation review.